Current Final

Blog

  • UN expert compares Netanyahu with Hitler

    UN expert compares Netanyahu with Hitler


    Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, displaying a picture of Hitler being celebrated by a crowd with Nazi salutes and cheers above a shot of Netanyahu appearing to be greeted by US congressmen this week.


    “History is always watching,” Craig Mokhiber, another former UN human rights official who resigned late last October accusing the world body of failing to prevent the “genocide” of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, wrote in the post.


    “This is precisely what I was thinking today,” Albanese, an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations, said in her response on Thursday.


    Israel’s foreign ministry was quick to respond, slamming her on X as being “beyond redemption.”


    “It is inconceivable that (Albanese) is still allowed to use the UN as a shield to spread anti-Semitism,” it said.


    “When a current UN ‘expert’ endorses Holocaust distortion spread by the former (UN rights office) director in New York… the system is rotten to its core,” it said.


    “It’s high time to #UNseatAlbanese!“


    Israel’s new ambassador in Geneva, Daniel Meron, used the same hashtag, decrying that “Francesca Albanese abuses her (UN) title to spread hatred and inflammatory rhetoric.”


    Israel’s top ally the United States also weighed in.


    “UN Special Rapporteur’s comparison of Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler is reprehensible and antisemitic,” US ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Michele Taylor said on X.


    “There should be no place for such dehumanizing rhetoric. Special rapporteurs should be striving to improve human rights challenges, not inflame them.”


    Albanese on Friday hit back at the criticism, insisting that “the memory of the Holocaust remains intact.”


    “Institutional rants and outburst of selective moral outrage will not stop the course of justice, which is finally in motion.”


    Israel’s has killed at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

  • PTI’s Neeli Pari sent on judicial remand for assaulting PML-N worker

    PTI’s Neeli Pari sent on judicial remand for assaulting PML-N worker

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Aneela Riaz, aka Neeli Pari, has been sent to jail on judicial remand by a local court in Lahore for assaulting comedian and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) worker, Tahir Anjum, on Thursday.

    The arrest comes after a day police registered a case against Aneela and sought her physical remand following the complaint by the victim.

    However, the court rejected the police’s request for physical remand.

    Videos emerged on social media in which Neeli Pari was seen assaulting Anjum by stopping his car and even tearing his clothes outside the Punjab Assembly.

  • Arshad Nadeem led Pakistani delegation at Olympics

    Arshad Nadeem led Pakistani delegation at Olympics

    Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s only hope for a medal, proudly lead the country’s delegation at the Paris Olympics 2024. He recently got a chance to train in South Africa for a few weeks, after practicing most of the time at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore. Due to this, he had to undergo surgery on his knee in London.

    Arshad won gold in the Commonwealth Games and silver in the World Athletics Championship, which was Pakistan’s first medal in the championship’s history.

    Pakistan has not won a medal in the Olympics in athletics until now. Kishmala Talat will participate in the shooting event. The 21-year-old, who started shooting as a hobby at 13, will try to become Pakistan’s first woman to win a medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

    Pakistan’s hockey team has missed the Olympics for the third time. This is the third consecutive Olympics in which the team has not participated. They last participated in the 2012 London Olympics, in which they finished seventh.

  • Glaring mistake at Paris Olympics opening ceremony

    Glaring mistake at Paris Olympics opening ceremony

    The organizers of the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony made a glaring mistake by flying the Olympic flag upside down.

    Organizers are being criticized for having the Olympic emblem upside down on the white Olympic flag hoisted at the opening ceremony.

    The official Olympic emblem has three circles above and two circles below, while the flag hoisted at the ceremony at the Paris Olympics had two circles above and three below.

    The Olympics formally started with a colourful opening ceremony on river Seine in Paris.

  • Women’s Asia Cup: Sri Lanka qualifies for the final after defeating Pakistan

    Women’s Asia Cup: Sri Lanka qualifies for the final after defeating Pakistan

    In the second semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup, the host Sri Lanka qualified for the final by defeating the Pakistan by 3 wickets after a nail biting match.

    Sri Lanka Women’s team won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat first in the second semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup played in Dambulla.

    Pakistan Women’s team scored 140 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in the allotted 20 overs, Muniba Ali scored 37 runs and Gul Feroza scored 25 runs.

    For Sri Lanka, Kavisha and Odisha got out 2 each.

    Pakistan’s target of 141 runs was achieved by Sri Lanka Women in the last over at the loss of 7 wickets.

    Chamari Athapatthu played an innings of 63 runs for Sri Lanka while Anushka remained unbeaten with 24 runs.

    Thus, Sri Lanka Women won by 3 wickets and made it to the final of the Asia Cup where they will face India.

  • ADB approves $400 million loan to rebuild Sindh’s flood-damaged homes, infrastructure

    ADB approves $400 million loan to rebuild Sindh’s flood-damaged homes, infrastructure

    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has granted Pakistan a $400 million concessional loan to aid in the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure in Sindh province, heavily impacted by the 2022 floods.

    The funds will be used for the Sindh Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project, which aims to repair flood-damaged houses and community facilities while boosting livelihood recovery and enhancing resilience to climate change.

    The project is part of ADB’s broader response to Pakistan’s flood crisis and contributes to the bank’s pledge of $1.5 billion in aid from 2023 to 2025. Yevgeniy Zhukov, ADB’s Director General for Central and West Asia, emphasised that the initiative will help rebuild homes and restore essential services in Sindh, the province most affected by the floods. The disaster impacted 33 million people and caused extensive damage nationwide.

    Sindh sustained about 83% of the total housing damage from the floods, with roughly 2.1 million homes either destroyed or severely damaged. Two years later, many survivors are still living in inadequate temporary shelters lacking basic services like water, sanitation, and electricity.

    The ADB’s project will support the reconstruction of 250,000 homes with designs that are resilient to multiple hazards and environmentally friendly. Additionally, it will fund the construction of community infrastructure such as drinking water and sanitation facilities, covered drainage, and renewable energy solutions for 100,000 households in approximately 1,000 flood-affected villages.

    The project also includes conditional cash grants for livestock, agriculture, small businesses, and e-commerce. A $500,000 technical assistance grant will be provided to support the government’s capabilities in procurement, compliance, and management.

    Srinivas Sampath, ADB’s Director for Water and Urban Development, noted that the project not only aims to rebuild Pakistan effectively but also to promote community-driven climate resilience and disaster risk management strategies, better preparing the country for future hazards.

  • SBP expected to lower interest rates on Monday as inflation stabilises

    SBP expected to lower interest rates on Monday as inflation stabilises

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is anticipated to reduce its key interest rate once more during its upcoming policy meeting on Monday.

    This will be the first meeting following the recent staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the announcement of a new state budget, according to analysts.

    Earlier this month, Pakistan and the IMF reached an agreement on a 37-month loan programme. The deal has introduced stringent measures, including increased taxes on agricultural incomes and higher electricity prices, which have sparked concerns among lower and middle-income citizens already struggling with inflation and the potential for increased taxes.

    In June, the SBP lowered its key interest rate by 150 basis points, reducing it from a historic high of 22 per cent. This marked the central bank’s first rate cut in nearly four years, aimed at stimulating economic growth amid a significant decrease in retail inflation. Inflation had dropped to 12.6 per cent in June, down from 38 per cent in May 2023.

    Out of 14 analysts surveyed, only one predicted that the SBP would maintain the current rate of 20.5 per cent. The majority forecast a rate cut, with seven analysts expecting a reduction of 100 basis points, five anticipating a 150 basis points cut, and one predicting a 200 basis points decrease.

    Mustafa Pasha, Chief Investment Officer at Lakson Investments, noted that the anticipated inflationary surge following the budget has not occurred. The central bank had previously cautioned about potential inflationary pressures from the budget, citing insufficient progress on structural reforms to expand the tax base.

    To compensate, the government set a demanding tax revenue target of Rs13 trillion ($47 billion) for the current fiscal year, representing a nearly 40 per cent increase from the previous year, and aims to reduce the fiscal deficit to 5.9 per cent of GDP from 7.4 per cent in the previous year to secure essential IMF funding.

    Pasha added that the clarity on the IMF programme, currency market stability, and steady foreign inflows into domestic debt and equities provide “ample comfort to the SBP to continue easing the policy rate in July and beyond.”

  • Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Aya Nakamura may headline Paris Olympics opening ceremony

    Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Aya Nakamura may headline Paris Olympics opening ceremony

    World-famous stars are in line to perform at Friday’s opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which will take place along the Seine River. The exact line-up is a tightly guarded secret, but here are three performers strongly rumoured to be appearing:

    Lady Gaga

    One of the world’s biggest-selling artists, pop queen Lady Gaga – real name Stefani Germanotta – brings extravagant showmanship and costumes to the stage, along with her infectious electropop beats. She won an Oscar for Shallow, a song she co-wrote for the 2018 film remake A Star is Born. In that film, she sang the classic La Vie en rose by French legend Edith Piaf – whose songs are expected to feature in the Olympics extravaganza.

    Lady Gaga was seen arriving at a hotel in the French capital days ahead of the opening bash. Her anticipated Olympic turn comes during a busy year for the Oscar-winning US songwriter, 38. Earlier this month she announced she was back in the studio at work on a new album. She also appears as love-interest Harley Quinn in the new Joker movie, screening at the Venice Film Festival that starts in late August.

    “Music is one of the most powerful things the world has to offer,” she said prior to her electrifying 2017 Super Bowl halftime show performance. “No matter what race or religion or nationality or sexual orientation or gender that you are, it has the power to unite us.”

    Celine Dion

    Canadian superstar singer Dion is set to return to the spotlight after her fight against a rare illness was laid bare in a recent documentary. She has been posing for selfies with fans around Paris since the start of the week. Sources have indicated she may sing Piaf’s stirring love anthem Hymne A l’Amour at the ceremony. If she performs it will be the 56-year-old Dion’s second time at the Games, after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  Last month, she vowed she would fight her way back from the debilitating rare neurological condition that has kept her off stage.

    Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disorder. But she told US network NBC in June: “I’m going to go back onstage, even if I have to crawl. Even if I have to talk with my hands, I will. I will.” She has sold more than 250 million albums during a career spanning decades and picked up two Grammys for her rendition of My Heart Will Go On, the hit song from the 1997 epic Titanic.

    Aya Nakamura

    Franco-Malian R&B superstar Aya Nakamura, 29, is the most listened-to French-speaking singer in the world, with seven billion streams online. She is known for hits such as Djadja, which has close to a billion streams on YouTube alone, and Pookie. She faced down a wave of abuse from right-wing activists over her mooted Olympics appearance. The backlash came after media reports suggested she had discussed performing a song by Piaf at a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. Neither party confirmed the claim but Macron publicly backed the singer for the Olympics ceremony. Far-right politicians and conservatives have accused her of “vulgarity” and disrespecting the French language in her lyrics.

    Born Aya Danioko in the Malian capital Bamako in 1995 into a family of traditional musicians, she moved with her parents to the Paris suburbs as a child. She told AFP in an interview in 2020 her music was about “feelings of love in all their aspects”.

    “I have made my own musical universe and that is what I am most proud of. I make the music I like, even if people try to pigeon-hole me.”

  • Hum Dono: Will Wafa and Asad’s love story defy the odds?

    Hum Dono: Will Wafa and Asad’s love story defy the odds?

    Wafa and Asad are deeply in love. Wafa, full of life and ready to marry her hero Asad, is adventurous and carefree. Asad, in contrast, is practical and thoughtful, always considering the consequences of Wafa’s wild ideas. Their main obstacle is Wafa’s wealthy family. Her father, Ejaz Durrani (played by Nauman Ejaz), has chosen Shehroz (Zaviyar Naumaan) as a potential husband for her.


    Adding to the drama, Wafa’s cousin Sumbul (Rabya Kulsoom) also has feelings for Shehroz, but his feelings for her remain unclear. The standout character in this episode is Samar Abbas. His humor and charm make the show enjoyable, and we look forward to seeing more of him in future episodes.


    The drama starts with beautiful rooftop scenes where Wafa and Asad meet. Director Aabis Raza enhances the visuals with creative details, like shots of the hero and heroine climbing a ladder to the rooftop. Azaan Sami Khan’s pairing with Kinza Hashmi is fresh and promising. Both actors have a strong presence on screen. Zaviyaar Naumaan Ejaz joins the cast, adding to the potential love triangle. Rabya Kulsoom, as Sumbul, watches from the sidelines. Naumaan Ijaz plays Wafa’s calculating father, hinting at interesting family dynamics.


    Wafa’s carefree attitude sometimes seems unrealistic, especially when she talks about eloping so casually. This might be to highlight the contrast with Asad, who is practical and deeply in love. While we hoped for a story beyond the typical love triangle, writer Bee Gul always adds depth to her characters, so there’s hope for more complexity.


    The first episode showed a lot of romance between Wafa and Asad. It would have been better with more backstory to make their relationship more relatable. But it’s just the beginning, and there’s plenty of time for the story to develop.


    Let’s see what happens in the next episodes of ‘Hum Dono’

  • Dilip Kumar’s renovated bungalow sells for a jaw dropping sum

    Dilip Kumar’s renovated bungalow sells for a jaw dropping sum

    A sea-facing bungalow on Pali Hill, Mumbai, belonging to the late Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar, has been sold for Indian 175 crores. What was previously his sea-facing residence has now turned into an opulent triplex apartment.


    Apco Infratech Private Limited has purchased a triplex apartment spanning the 9th, 10th, and 11th floors of a newly redeveloped building. All in all, the flat has a huge carpet area of 9,527 square feet, which was bought at a premium price of Indians INR1.62 lakh per square foot. The sale was even costlier with a registration cost of INR 30,000 and a whopping stamp duty of 9.3 crore.
    In 1966, after he married Saira Banu, Dilip Kumar moved out of the house he had bought in September 1953.